by Gary Fawson

GRANTSVILLE CITY PLANNING COMMISSIONER

In a recent article by Doug Radunich, staff writer for the Tooele Transcript-Bulletin, regarding the makeup of Grantsville's planning commission ("Grantsville planning commission makeup raises red flags," Feb. 7), the reporter failed to do his homework and just made some things up. Worries, or "red flags," of conflicts of interest -- ridiculous!

First, Mayor Anderson did not appoint Angela Grant as chairperson of the commission. If the reporter had attended the commission meeting, he would have seen that she was elected, in front of the attending public, by other members of the commission. Second, I have never been a "landscape contractor" as was reported in the article. A quick phone call would have been an easy research technique.

Now, a little about the makeup of our planning commission. The mayor selects volunteer candidates from all parts of our community. They are voted upon and have to be confirmed by the City Council before ever taking the oath of office. Over the past six years, I have served with a school teacher, salesman, businessman, finance specialist, Realtor, housewife, contractor, farmer and mother. All have probably done some business with the city. How can you live in a small town and not be involved with its growth in some way?

Grantsville is going to grow. Our job as a community is to help it grow wisely. Over the past years, the planning commission and city council have helped shape some wise growth with wider sidewalks, better landscaping, hundreds of new street trees, more open space in our developments, including more parks and ball fields, and higher standards for signs and commercial building design.

My experience as a newspaper and magazine publisher has given me the chance to work with a wide variety of business people and community leaders. My experience as a small developer has shown me that it takes risk and a lot of effort to get a project approved and carried through all the government red tape. I would hope that some of this experience qualifies me to offer a little help in creating a good vision for Grantsville.

Grantsville is at a crossroads right now. We have a choice: We can just let growth happen -- as it will and has around us in a sprawling way -- or we can have a vision of a more beautiful community and work together to achieve that vision. Right now, I think we have some of the best-qualified planning commissioners, a very sharp City Council and a dedicated mayor who can take this community in the direction of a model community. Let's just get behind them and make it happen.

Gary Fawson is a Grantsville City planning commissioner.